10 Donor Wall Project Planning Tips

10 Donor Wall Project Planning Tips

1. Plan Early

The time to think about donor recognition isn’t when you’re planning the celebration party. Include a recognition wall display cost in your total fundraising effort and be sure to integrate the design into your architectural and signage program.

2. Don’t make promises you can’t keep

In the throes of raising funds, different promises are often made to different people – some impossible to keep. Begin by setting guidelines on how gifts will be recognized on the donor wall.

3. Head off anomalies, but design for variables

Hospitals, churches and care facilities often receive “in loving memory of” gifts. To control the variability of these listings, provide criteria for how such gifts can be stated on the recognition display. At the same time, plan typography for the longest and shortest naming scenarios.

4. Decide between a finite campaign or living donor wall

Designers need to know the maximum number of donor names that will likely appear before beginning concept development. If the wall is for a single capital campaign, set a firm deadline for inclusion, so names can be alphabetized and placed into donation categories. Design living walls to remain aesthetically pleasing at any stage and be sure to place them in locations that will allow for growth.

5. Allocate a percentage of the budget

Set aside a percentage of the total building budget for the donor wall construction. Avoid the appearance of overspending, but keep in mind that attractive walls make donors feel appreciated and encourage others to give in the future.

6. Complement the architecture

Even when a donor wall is treated as stand-alone art, designers need to work closely with the architect, lighting engineer and signage designers. The finished piece should feel integral to the environment and complement the proportions, materials, finishes and colors of the space.

7. Maintain type consistency

Don’t try to list names in type sizes equivalent to the size of the donations. Color-coding is a common way of protecting typographic consistency.

8. Consider future fabrication

Make sure that materials and craftsmanship are available and can be matched five, 10, 15 years hence.

9. Consider daily upkeep of the donor wall

Take weather resistance, vandalism and maintenance into account before approving the design and location.

10. Proofread, then proofread again.

Imagine etching 1000 names on a single sheet of glass and finding a typo that will remain into perpetuity. Check with donors about unusual name spellings, then assign several people to proofread at every stage of the process.

What to Do with “Redundant” Naming Plaques on Donor Recognition Walls?

What to Do with “Redundant” Naming Plaques on Donor Recognition Walls?

Our hospital has undergone major renovations, resulting in re-location of a number of services.   In some areas there are plaques dating back many years,  recognizing gifts of donors to a specific service  (eg. – pediatrics or endoscopy.)   We call these “dedication plaques”.  What is a good policy for removing donor plaques.

A  Foundation’s foremost concern is the appropriate recognition of our donors’ generosity.  From time to time,  modifications,  renovations, or changes to an area’s use may require adjustments in a naming opportunity.

1. If a space undergoes minor renovations and the purpose of the space remains substantially the same, then any original naming designation will remain in place.

2. When a space undergoes a significant renovation or change in purpose, or the designated program ceases to exist or experiences a dramatic change in its needs, the Foundation will discuss options with the naming and lead donors (or their survivors) to that structure or program. Options for the naming opportunity may include, but are not limited to,  continuing the naming opportunity with modification,  moving the naming opportunity to a new or comparable, existing space, or altering the size of the space assigned to the naming opportunity.

3. When the useful life of a facility ends or the function supported by a gift ends or moves out, the Foundation will discuss options with the naming and lead donors involved or their survivors.  Among the options will be those outlined above and the opportunity for donors to fund new construction of a new area or major renovation to a fully reconfigured area in order to sustain the original naming opportunity.   Whatever the donors’ decision, the Foundation may move recognition of original gifts to a permanent plaque or similar structure elsewhere in the hospital to continue honoring past gifts.  A Living History wall or Legacy Display in the Hospital is currently under consideration as a way to perpetuate the recognition of donors whose named areas have been removed.

4. The naming of a building by a donor will extend for the life of the building.  In the event the named building is demolished, the donor is entitled to recognition for a minimum of thirty (30) years.  If the named building is razed in fewer than 30 years, the Foundation will arrange with the donor and/or the donor’s family to select a comparable area.  If the named building is demolished after a period of 30 or more years, the Foundation will not be obligated to continue the naming recognition.